Kris Humphries argues a technical foul called against him during a game against the Knicks. (Dec. 19, 2012) Photo Credit: Getty

He began the season as a starter, before becoming a benchwarmer during the last few games of Avery Johnson's tenure. When P.J. Carlesimo took over, he morphed back into a key contributor, faring well in his backup power forward role.

Now, Kris Humphries is back to being the forgotten man.

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Humphries, who inked a two-year, $24-million deal in the offseason, logged only a combined nine minutes in the Nets' previous two games before Tuesday night's matchup with the Lakers. He saw just seven minutes in Friday night's win over the Bulls, two days after recording a season-low two minutes versus the Heat.

"I talked to him today," Carlesimo said. "Some nights it's the matchup. A lot of nights, it's just who's playing well and when they get in, they're probably getting a quicker hook than they would like. Again, the rotation is still not a good smooth rotation, which is why way back when Avery kind of changed it up, not just to go small but just to basically try to juggle four or five guys, which is what we're still trying to do.

"There's not a real rhyme or reason . . . Obviously, he's going to have some games where he's not going to get double-digit minutes. So we haven't sorted that one out yet."

As a part-time resident and someone who spends his offseasons living in Manhattan, Steve Nash can appreciate the new vibe in the city that's come along with the Nets' move across the Hudson River.

"I think it's going to be great," the Lakers point guard said. "Obviously the first year, it's exciting. But long-term they have a great owner, a great city. What's not to like?"

The Nets had mild interest in Nash in the summer as a possible backup plan if Deron Williams didn't re-sign, but discussions never got serious before he agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers.

"I didn't really get that in-depth," Nash said. "They just said, 'Hey, we're working on Deron [Williams']. It was contingent. I respected and appreciated the call."

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